North Charleston, SC – Youth Apprenticeship Signing Day might not have the same national notoriety as National Signing Day. However, in the Lowcountry, this regional collaborative effort with school districts, businesses, and organizations is picking up steam.

The 4th Annual Youth Apprenticeship Signing Day was held at Trident Technical College (TTC) August 8, 2017. Sixty-one students, including 27 from Charleston County School District (CCSD), made their commitment to local businesses “official” by signing a document.

“Our Youth Apprenticeship Program is just one of many ways that CCSD prepares students to be college, career, and citizenship ready,” said Rich Gordon, CCSD’s Career and Technology Education Executive Director. “Apprenticeships, aligned with the appropriate classroom instruction, provide rigorous and relevant academic, technical, and employability training for a wide variety of high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand 21st century careers.”

Modeled after National Signing Day, where high school student-athletes sign National Letters of Intent to colleges or universities where they will play a sport, Youth Apprenticeship Signing Day gives students who are going into the workforce at a young age a similar experience when it comes to excitement and importance.

“This event provides us with the opportunity to celebrate the most exciting educational initiative I have experienced in my entire career,” said Trident Technical College President Mary Thornley. “It is exciting because this program has power. It has the power to change lives in remarkable ways and the power to accelerate our economy and build a strong community. It is also exciting because it is a shining example of the type of change that can occur when multiple organizations work together in a united effort to achieve a common goal.”

Special thanks to signing day’s keynote speaker Amy Firestone from the US Department of Labor. And special thanks to Debbie Meuli, formally with local manufacturer IFA Rotorion, for sharing the story on how the Charleston region’s Youth Apprenticeship program began over 4 years ago with a meeting she hosted after the president of her company asked, “Where are my Youth Apprentices?”

Thanks to the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, and their Accelerate Greater Charleston initiative, the participating students’ college tuition and fees were taken care of for the inaugural cohort, and this wonderful support for the Charleston’s Youth Apprenticeship program continues today!

The following CCSD students and graduates participated in the 2017 Youth Apprenticeship Signing Day:

Special thanks to all the amazing partners that ensure this opportunity is available for students in the Charleston region, including: the host companies in 16 career pathways, Trident Technical College, Apprenticeship Carolina, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, the US Department of Labor, and educators in schools throughout the community.

Branko Lakic from Boeing South Carolina led the Aero Modeling Project at the Wando Engineering Camp.

Huge thanks to the team of Boeing SC engineers led by Branko Lakic for investing their passion, time and talent in this amazing project-based learning opportunity for Charleston County School District students!

Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston (CAC.C) hosted an Architecture Career Camp from July 17 – 21, 2017 for high school students from Charleston County School District interested in architecture as a career path.

The camp was held a location that is still relatively new for the extension of the Clemson University campus in Charleston, 701 East Bay St. Charleston, SC 29403, also known as the old Cigar Factory building downtown.

The camp was led by Clemson faculty member David Pastre, a licensed architect intimately familiar with architectural design in the Charleston region. Ms. Roxann Phillips, the architecture instructor and CTE department chair at Garrett Academy of Technology also helped lead the week long camp. CAC.C director Ray Huff led the creation of this work-based learning career camp for students to learn and explore, and hopes to expand the opportunity next summer.

Students received introduction to drawing and modeling methods, and explored the nature of scale, rhythm, proportion, context, and functional elements of architecture. Students were engaged in sketching, dimensional drawing architectural analogues, modeling both full size and scale modeling, and other exciting project-based learning opportunities throughout the camp hours, 8am to 1pm.

A downtown walking tour led by Robert Stockton allowed the students to see many historically significant buildings through an architectural lens. Students also visited local architecture firm LS3P’s Charleston offices and met with working professionals.

On the last day of the camp, students presented their designs for a very special project to be located not far from the building that hosted their camp. They showed off their ideas for a park and shelter that would serve as a trail-head of sorts for people walking the Ravenel Bridge.

Thanks to a wonderful partnership between CCSD and the CAC.C, there was no cost for students to participate in this career camp.

After this very successful pilot, plans are being discussed to expand the opportunity to more students next summer – Thanks to everyone that made this work-based learning experience available for CCSD students!

For the 4th summer in a row, local health care professionals from the MUSC School of Nursing hosted rising seniors on track to be CTE Completers in Health Science from schools throughout Charleston County School District for an interactive career camp.

The 3 day MUSC Summer Healthcare Camp provided an introduction to various health sciences professions through the use of interactive presentations, hands‐on skills lab opportunities, and exposure to the healthcare environment.

Check out these pictures of the students during the camp and at their closing ceremony:

Thanks to everyone that made the camp possible for students again this summer!

It is the mid-point for 28 students working with Charleston County School District departments this summer.

They’ve all settled in to their roles working alongside district professionals in positions aligned with their future career interests.

To earn the available work-based learning course credit, each student intern must work a minimum of 120 hours, turn in a supervisor review at the mid-point and end of the summer, and submit weekly journals about their experiences.

Taylor Kahn-Perry, a rising senior at Charleston School of the Arts, submitted the following for her first week’s journal:

I started my internship with the CCSD Office of Strategy and Communications this Tuesday, June 20 at 8 a.m. My supervisor, Ms. Lauren Gandy, whom I met at our Orientation, was out of the office this week. Because Ms. Gandy was the only person I knew in the office before my first day, it caught me off guard a little bit to have no familiar faces in the office. However, everyone was warm. Mr. Andy Pruitt met me in the front and gave me a great introduction to the office, reminding me that internships are what you make of them. Ms. Erica Taylor took time out of her very busy day to make sure I felt comfortable, and Ms. Maggie Dangerfield helped me get started on my first few assignments.

I am looking forward to seeing Ms. Gandy next week, though, because it seems she has a more structured set of assignments for me ready to go. While I have spent this week working diligently to complete all my assignments, I want to focus next week on pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I want to, like Mr. Pruitt said, get as much as I can out of this internship by asking for new assignments when I have down time from a variety of people in the office. Everyone here does something slightly differently, and there is much to learn from everyone so long as I put myself out there.

Just before the Independence Day holiday, district staff including summer interns gathered for a summer picnic at the Bridge View Drive Operations Center. Student interns participated in the field day games and enjoyed the hamburgers, ice cream, and fellowship.

Check out these pictures and videos from the terrific day of team building:

Student interns were also invited to participate in a special round-table discussion to offer input on our schools to Charleston County Schools Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait. Check out these pictures and this article in the Post & Courier. Thanks to the Strategy and Communications Department for these pictures from the Student Listening Session.

Congratulations to all 27 students from high schools throughout Charleston County School District on their summer internships!

Each student went through an interview process and completed all required CCSD Human Resources requirements.

This past week, the summer interns participated in an Orientation meeting and a Student Retreat.

At the Orientation meeting, students completed their requirements for employment, met with their supervisors, and learned about the KRONOS time clock system. The students and their supervisors met to discuss the specific expectations for the summer work-based learning experience.

At the Retreat, students got to know their fellow interns through various activities including a personality assessment. They also heard about best practices in the college scholarship application process from a former student intern currently in college on a full scholarship.

Students from the following schools are participating in the CCSD Departments Summer Internship Program:

Acadmic Magnet HS

2

Baptist Hill MHS

2

Garrett Academy

3

North Charleston HS

3

R B Stall HS

6

School of the Arts

1

Wando HS

2

West Ashley HS

8

Thanks to these CCSD departments for hosting a student intern this summer:

Arts & World Languages: SMAART CAMP

4

Business Intelligence & Information Management

1

Capital Programs

1

Early Learning

1

Ed Tech

3

ESOL

1

Exceptional Children

1

Grounds and General Services

4

Human Resources

1

Information Technology – Help Desk

1

Mathematics Department

2

Middle School Learning Community

1

NCHS School Store

1

Nutrition Services

1

Office of Strategy and Communications

1

Office of Teacher Effectiveness

1

Procurement

2

Thanks to everyone that made this summer’s kick off week for the 2017 Summer Interns a success including Sandra Quigley in HR, Ashley Chambers from KRONOS Support, Burke High School for hosting, Carolyn Southall from NCHS, CTE Executive Director Richard Gordon, and all the CCSD dept reps that spoke at the orientation meeting with the student interns. Thanks to Doctors Care for their assistance with the TB test requirements for each intern.

Check out these additional pictures from the Orientation and Retreat meetings.

Charleston, SC – May 31, 2017 – Eight students from Ms. Shekema Hamm’s CTE class at Daniel Jenkins Academy had a very special opportunity to experience first-hand several of the high demand career pathways available in Charleston’s Hospitality & Tourism industry. The work-based learning experience began with a visit to the City Market – They met entrepreneurs selling their goods at one of our regions most famous landmarks.

Next, they were treated to a guided tour of the historic streets of Charleston by Palmetto Carriage Company. The tour guide shared his career path with the students which included stints in both hotel and restaurant operations. Special thanks to Mr. Thomas Doyle, Jr. and his terrific team for making this opportunity possible for these students.

After the carriage tour, the students were treated to a special lunch at the Charleston Crab House! Thanks to Mr. John Keener and the wonderful Charleston Crab House team for hosting these students for a very special lunch.

After lunch, the students walked around the corner to the front door of the Market Pavilion Hotel, one of Charleston’s most luxurious properties.

The students were greeted in the lobby by Mr. Peter Wright, General Manager of the hotel.

As the students entered, Mr. Wright highlighted a special collection of historic artifacts found on the site during the construction process; “It’s hard to dig in Charleston without unearthing a part of history,” he explained.

Students got to see their formal board room available for special meetings – Mr. Wright highlighted to audio and visual capabilities were hidden behind luxuriously appointed walls, but assured the students that all the tools needed for a modern meeting were present for their guests.

Next, the students got to visit the large ballroom and meet with several members of the hotel’s staff including leadership from the Bell Staff, Concierge, and Event Planning teams. A highlight for the students and staff alike was when one of the students’ family members joined the discussion. Mr. Wright recognized the student’s uncle as a leader and sous chef for the world renowned restaurant at the hotel, Grill 225.

Students then got to see a working car lift in the garage, a rarity in Charleston, added to allow as many cars to be parked as possible for guests on multiple garage floors. An elevator ride to the top floor was next for a visit to the famous roof top pool area with panoramic views of the city.

The last stop on the tour was the property’s Presidential Suite, which has been uitlized by two US Presidents and numerous other dignitaries and celebrities during their visit to Charleston. The students were impressed with the large suite complete with presidential portraits.

Very special thanks to Mr. Peter Wright and his team for hosting these lucky students, and for allowing them to see first-hand the level of quality and dedication it takes to operate an award winning hotel.

Charleston, SC – May 17, 2017 – A group of local architects, contractors, and engineering professionals are doing their part to ensure the next generation is ready for the critical infrastructure and development related jobs in Charleston, and throughout the nation.

ACE Mentors of Charleston connects professionals with local classrooms for project-based learning and relationship building. Students work in teams on various aspects of large scale, multifaceted construction projects. The students choose the projects and all the elements to bring the design to a workable set of plans, and even a scale model in some cases.

Each year, to celebrate the students’ success and the investment of time by the many volunteers, a special banquet is held to allow each team to share a presentation on their chosen project.

Dinos Liollio, a 40 year veteran of the industry, provided the key note speech, and his chosen topic was timely for the students waiting to deliver their own presentations. Mr. Liollo spoke on the impact of non-verbal communication. He used many pictures and a movie clip to illustrate his points, and ended the presentation with a video of the dramatic pre-game ritual performed by the All Blacks Rugby Team from New Zealand. He encouraged the students to be aware of what was being communicated by the position of their arms and legs, their facial expressions, and their eye contact during conversations.

After the keynote presentation concluded, each school was invited to the stage to present their class project.

Mr. Roy Kemp, PLTW Engineering Instructor and CTE Dept Chair from Burke High School provided the following account of his experience at the ACE Mentors’ Banquet:

Last night at the presentation banquet for ACE, a student mentoring program with Architects, Contractors and Engineers, outstanding young people from Burke High School, St. Johns High School and R. B. Stall High School made presentations of commercial projects that they had designed and worked on over the past school term under the mentorship of professionals from the three aforementioned tiers of the construction industry.

The class projects presented included: A pavilion for the International African American Museum complete with sketches, CAD drawings and a scale model by Burke HS students;

a wrestling facility complete with engineering drawings, construction budgets and support materials by St. Johns HS students;and a regional recycling center with the “world’s biggest recycled water bottle” fountain along with all the other documentations by R. B. Stall HS students.

The projects were ambitious, well planned with acute attention to details, and served their functions within our extended community amazingly well. The presentations were complete with every step of the planning and development process for these projects, and the students were articulate, at ease and presented to the room of some 100 attendees as well as most professionals. I was proud of the efforts, and realized that the ACE Mentoring Program, along with select educators from the CTE department of Charleston County Schools working with them was helping to develop our community’s future through solving real world development problems. They even gave three $1,000.00 scholarships to deserving students!

Only 2 students from Burke HS were able to attend the event due to a conflict with their school’s senior night. Mr. Kemp shared this picture of the students, teachers, and their ACE Mentors taken in the classroom.

Three students were indeed awarded scholarships to continue their education in the ACE professions in college.

Congratulations to Julio Solis, Ignacio Lopez, and Adrian Santiago on their scholarship awards! All three are graduating seniors from R. B. Stall High School.

Thanks to the school faculty and parents for attending to celebrate these students’ achievements. Thanks to Dinos Liollo for delivering an excellent keynote.

Thanks to Rob Turner, Chairman of the ACE Mentors of Greater Charleston Board and all the volunteers and supporters of this terrific program for their investment of time and talent, and for a wonderful celebration for all involved to end the year!